JKR Has Built the World's Most Distinctive Brands

May. 21, 2025

Over the past 35 years, JKR has creatively shaped some of the world’s most iconic brands—from Burger King and Budweiser to Dunkin’ and Walmart. Its legacy is rooted in a simple but powerful philosophy: Be Distinctive Everywhere. 

Under the leadership of Global CEO James Nixon, Chief Growth Officer Sara Hyman, and Global Chief Creative Officer Tosh Hall, JKR is now taking this belief system and showing brands and businesses that clients don’t need to choose between highly creative agencies or strategic powerhouses—they can have both.

Nixon said:

"Today’s brands are defined by how they behave, not just what they say. They are shaped by a distinctive POV on brand experience and brand identity, and creatively amplified via an incredible command of technology. We’re building a branding business of the future that recognizes this evolution and answers these needs. One that is grounded in distinctiveness, led by strategy and creativity, amplifying every element and interaction consumers have with a brand."

 

Accelerating our Experience Offering. 

To address this behavior shift, JKR has expanded its Experience offering, led by industry heavyweights Sam Smith and Matt Michaluk. The duo bring over 20 years of experience working with global brands at WPP agencies. Together, they’ve transformed the end-to-end retail experience for major L’Oréal brands, taken global Netflix IPs into new IRL propositions, and revolutionized the buying and owning experience for automotive brands such as Hyundai.

Leading the Experience division, Sam and Matt will focus on opening up new avenues for growth within the business—both organically and with new clients. This aligns with the growing emphasis on brand experience, which is now seen less as an add-on and more as a battleground for relevance. In fact, according to Kantar, up to 75% of brand building comes from experiential touchpoints, underscoring the critical role of aligning brand promise with customer experience to drive growth. 

Hyman said:

"Clients are finding it harder to consistently define and govern how their brands show up in the world. Too many partners often fragment and silo the impact a brand can have. Bringing together strategy, identity, and experience under one approach allows clients to work to a singular agenda, reduce partner complexity, and deliver a more distinctive brand experience everywhere. Our leading clients think of distinctiveness as an operating system - rather than a set of brand assets—therefore they need an agency that can influence every interaction, every moment, and every connection a brand makes with its audience."

 

Doubling Down on Strategy.

With a commitment to deliver this full-service offering, JKR has appointed Melanie McShane as its first-ever Executive Strategy Director. Reporting to Chief Growth Officer Lee Rolston—who leads Strategy at JKR—Mel brings a proven track record of transformational impact. 

She has spent years as a global leader at top brand consultancies, where she built teams, expanded capabilities, and advised both Fortune 500 companies and founders. During her time at Wolff Olins and Siegel+Gale, she led brand and business strategy for major clients including Google, Netflix, KPMG, Uber, and Microsoft. In her new role, she will work across the agency’s global portfolio to further elevate strategic excellence.

Rolston said:

“For 35 years, JKR’s legacy has been built on creative excellence, underpinned by strategy. As our clients' needs evolve, we’re expanding our strategic firepower. With the addition of Mel, we will guide clients through complex brand and business transformations, using strategic insights to unlock growth, drive relevance, and create brands that lead in a rapidly changing world. Mel has already been instrumental in tackling the strategic challenges for Walmart, Mozilla, and Yahoo during her time at JKR.” 

 

Looking Ahead.

With this new leadership team in place, JKR is building a branding business of the future to ensure clients get the capabilities they need for tomorrow’s challenges. This approach is already delivering results—in 2024, JKR achieved 25% year-over-year growth in new sectors—tech, retail, non-profit, and finance—and a 16% rise in new business across the US, UK, and Europe.

Hall said:

"At JKR, we build the most distinctive brands by bringing together the best talent in the industry to deliver exceptional work. It’s that talent, paired with a clear point of view, that sets us apart. With expanded capabilities across strategy, experience, and creativity, we’re proving that distinctiveness isn’t just a design system, it’s a strategic business advantage."